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Ecochlor Claims BWMS Breakthrough

BALLAST WATER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (BWMS) specialist Ecochlor, North Haven, Conn., has launched a new system, EcoOne, that eliminates the need for the filter generally used with UV or electro-chlorination ballast water treatment systems.

The EcoOne BWMS recently completed extensive land-based testing, demonstrating compliance with the most recent, stringent U.S. Coast Guard and IMO BWMS Code standards. Real-world shipboard testing is ongoing aboard an Aframax and a VLCC and is expected to be completed in May 2021.

“By eliminating the filter, we have taken simplicity and reliability in ballasting operations to the maximum level,” says Ecochlor’s VP of Business Development Andrew Marshall, noting that the chlorine dioxide (ClO2) treatment technology used by Ecochlor has been tested extensively to ensure that it works effectively as a single pass treatment under all operating conditions with no neutralization or retreatment prior to discharge.

“Plus,” he adds, “there are no problematic Total Residual Oxidant sensors, electrodes or complex power supplies in either the new EcoOne systems or the Ecochlor BWMS.”

The use of ClO2, rather than chlorine, for the elimination of aquatic invasive species is the key difference between Ecochlor’s patented systems and others.

While chlorine (bleach) and ClO2 are both oxidizing agents, they work in fundamentally different ways. ClO2 reacts with living cells by first penetrating the bacterial cell wall and then reacting with the material within the living cell in order to kill the organism.

On the other hand, chlorine reacts with almost any organic material (living and non-living) such as oil, algae, sediments, etc. This means that waters with high levels of organic matter can increase the demand for chlorine, leaving less of the chemical available to treat living organisms; thus, requiring an increase in dose. Chlorine also has a greater potential to form undesirable by-products in water.

ClO2 disinfectant particularly wellsuited as a filterless BWMS option since it is not affected by suspended sediments or turbidity. This means that ClO2 disinfection is effective regardless of changes in turbidity. Filtration is not necessary to remove sediments prior to treatment with ClO2, in contrast with UV or similar technologies.

With the introduction of EcoOne, Ecochlor now offers three different BWMS options, all using the same core, ClO2 technology. Within all Ecochlor Systems, ClO2 is generated on demand and is not stored onboard the vessel. To generate the ClO2, two precursor chemicals are pumped into a small mixing chamber, which then combines to automatically produce the ClO2.

An eductor then draws the ClO2 from the mixing chamber and mixes with the motive water supply to form the ClO2 solution. This solution is injected into the main ballast water stream. When ClO2 is no longer required, the treatment system is thoroughly flushed with water to remove all residue so that it is ready for the next ballast uptake.